EV Charging: A Slow Go Of It

We last checked on the usage for the electric vehicle charging stations in Lot Y just off Broadway back in February.  It was low then (1.25 charges per space, per day) and has dropped off from there.  That was pre-Covid so perhaps a sizeable drop was to be expected although October and November appeared pretty busy around Broadway.  Here are the latest figures

	Total charging minutes	Total charging Sessions
October 2020	2650	121
November 2020	3571	137

That tallies to about a half of a charge per day, per space.  If overall parking demand in Lot Y is low that is probably OK.  With the authorization of parklets on B'way by the city council coming just ahead of the latest lockdown on outdoor dining, we now have empty parklets on B'way taking up quite a few spaces.  I would guess overall parking demand is down even with free parking on Saturdays on B'way.  Will the news about a possible Apple EV with new battery technology make a difference--or are EVs still so expensive that everyone who has one also has the wherewithal to put in their own charging station instead of hanging out in Lot Y?  If it's from Apple, you know it won't be cheap.  We'll see.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a car, even before everyone got excited about EVs. According to a new report from Reuters, that vehicle might finally be coming to fruition in 2024.

Reuters reported that the autonomous Apple car will start production in 2024 and will feature “next level” battery technology. The news service cited someone "who has seen Apple's battery design" as saying it could "radically" reduce battery costs and increase range.

Comments

[Handle Bard]

Bike racks would have been a better investment. How about EB (electric bike) stations?

[resident]

The average charge lasted 24 minutes. I don't have a toy car but I thought it took hours to charge one. I bet these are Uber drivers from the airport who need a cigarette break.

[Handle Bard]

To pedal oneself
My true dream until it's not
Plug the bike, sit, wait

[[email protected]]

I may have asked this question before-"hang in there with me."
-How are the electrical charges paid for?
-How are the "Charges" established?
Taxes, etc.

[Joe]

You make me laugh sometimes, hollyroller. Back when the original post was made:

https://www.burlingamevoice.com/2019/04/lot-y-goes-electric.html#comments

Your comment was "Nobody Cares, Nobody Cares, Nobody Cares".

The answer to the question you have now that you care is also there:

The EVgo agreement duration is set for 10 years. Due to the project’s capital expenses (infrastructure and installation is estimated at $800,000 to $1 million) the agreement provides early termination protection for EVgo. If the City chooses to terminate the agreement early (for reasons other than cases of emergency or natural disasters), the City will be required to find a new location for the chargers and pay back EVgo’s costs up to $550,000. If the charging plaza is proving to be economically infeasible due to low utilization, or EVgo is doing a poor job operating and maintaining the chargers, the agreement may be terminated early without a pay back. However, EVgo is confident that the Broadway location will experience high utilization, and they have indicated their commitment to responding to maintenance needs within 24-48 hours and completing repairs as soon as possible.
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EVgo is "confident"....that at least one charge per space every other day will occur??

[BMW]

There are 43,200 minutes in a month. 8 spaces.

So in October:
2650 charging minutes/43,200 minutes that month / 8 spaces = 0.7 % occupancy. That’s less than one percent.

Each space is empty 99.3% of the time.

0.7% occupancy means each space averages out to being occupied only 11 minutes out of the day!

The rest of the time - 23 hrs, 49 minutes - each space is rendered useless.

[[email protected]]

Thank you Joe for bringing back "memories" for us.
It might be time to consider the need for Electrical Vehicles. The Tesla is a nice car but not available to 82% of people living in the Bay Area. So what we have here now "is a failure to communicate." Some one is making Money on EV. Until, EV cars become available to the General Public, the current infrastructure, and need for EV should be Postponed for @ 20 plus years. Everybody Cares.